Erlanger suffers nearly $5 million loss in March

Erlanger hospital lost almost $5 million in March, Chief Financial Officer Britt Tabor told the hospital's Budget and Finance Committee on Monday evening.

The meeting was the first for new hospital CEO Kevin Spiegel, who arrived at Erlanger on April 1.

Tabor said he believed a major part of the drop in patients stemmed from all of the "chatter" surrounding Erlanger during an intense period of flux involving the selection of a new CEO and Tennessee lawmakers' failed attempt to overhaul Erlanger's governance structure.

The hospital's year-to-date losses have now hit $9.4. That's better than the hospital was at this time last year - about $17 million in the red - but it's still not "where the hospital should be," said Tabor.

After giving the report, Tabor said April's numbers are looking better, and that they will likely begin to stabilize and improve as the uncertainty surrounding the hospital's future begins to settle.